Surreptitious

Chapter 29: Babysitting And Bonding

“Maybe spaghetti wasn’t the best idea for supper.” Hope huffed and tried to wipe some bolognaise sauce from her face as she looked over to Josie – the girl was howling with laughter, nearly toppling her chair from the motions.

Nik had thought the saucy ‘worms’ were the best projectiles for his food battle with his cousin. The evening had been spectacularly raucous; well, as much as an evening babysitting a toddler could be. There was screaming and crying, and then there were cries of laughter and squeals of excitement. Games were played, especially Nik’s favorite, which was hide and seek. Hope and Josie did not enjoy that one so much, wondering for some time how they were going to explain to the elder witch and werewolf that they had ‘misplaced’ their son.

There were moments where Hope would watch Josie with her little cousin, making faces at the boy that got more of a grin out of Hope than the toddler, simply because she could die from how cute Josie was. And more than cute, she was sweet and compassionate and absolutely at peace with the little one in her arms. She played with him like a child and scolded him like a loving aunt would, and all of these displays of maternal affection simply gave Hope butterflies of the best kind.

And for just a moment her mind had drifted into a bubble where there was a beautiful homey house with a beautiful green backyard and a beautiful brunette woman running around with two beautiful little children as Hope watched them, chest bursting with love and pride, from the back porch.

And then Hope would catch herself and a chill would run down her spine. Somehow, she did not feel like life would ever afford her such luxuries such as family and peace and happiness. It simply just did not seem to be in the cards she had been dealt. Absolutely nothing in her life up until and including this point had proven otherwise. It just seemed like there would always be another monster to fight, another dark possession to expel, another uprising to quell, another mistake to be made, another love to be lost, another dream to be ruined.

Hope was afraid of happiness because as soon as it seemed as if though she might get a taste of it, it is ripped away most violently. Why should any new opportunity end any differently? Or so she thought, whenever her mind went dark and her fears started to rise up. Fears tended to become most prominent when one was at one’s happiest.

And when Hope entered the spare room after her shower, freshly dressed in pajamas and toweling her hair, and she observed bubbly little baby Nik asleep like the gentlest little munchkin in the warmest, comfiest place inside Josie’s arms, Hope knew that she had possibly never felt so happy before in her life. Josie rocked Nik gently back and forth as she crooned out a soft song to him, making sure that he was being carried well into dreamland through her arms and her voice. She flashed the most genuinely beautiful smile at Hope as she moved past her and off to the nursery to place Nik down for the night.

When she returned and held out the baby monitor for Hope to take hold off, she paused for a second as she reached for her own towel, also needing a turn in in the shower. “You know… my whole life it has just been me and my dad and Lizzie. We barely get to see mom, but I am grateful for her still being there…” Her smile softened as she approached Hope and lightly fiddled with some of the wet strands of auburn hair hanging down before her shoulder. “You’ve got something wonderful here…You’ll never be alone.” Josie lifted her hand to brush her fingers gingerly against Hope’s cheek, then turned to head for the bathroom and her own shower.

Maybe Josie was right. Hope had lost herself and her entire universe after first her mother and then her father had died. She had also lost her uncle Elijah. But everyone who remained – Freya, Keelin, Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, Davina… and those were only the closest members of her family. Her family was large and strong, and her family stretched beyond just the Mikaelsons. Her family had roots. She had the Lebonaires and the Kenners as well, and she was sure that should she seek them out and howl out for them to come together…